Chaotic Waters
by Hydro-The-Cat
Summary: When a human from Earth is killed in a car wreck, you would have thought life would be over for him. Little did he know, it was just beginning...
1. The Beginning

Chapter 1: Introduction

Hello there. If you're reading this, you're one step closer to understanding our future, and whatever happened to me. If you're a friend, thanks for looking. If you're family, I'm safe and sound. Don't worry. I guess I should explain who I am first. The name's Nathan. At least how _you_ knew me, that is. I'm just a simple human from Kansas, and please don't start. I've heard ALL the 'Wizard of Oz' jokes. I suppose I should start with my story, first.

It had been a really bad day for me. First, I (epically) killed my spot in the pool tournament by knocking both the cue ball _and_ the 8-ball in on the first shot. Then I'd gotten upset by the pool tournament, and dropped the pool cue on its rubber end. It bounced off the floor, and it came back up and landed where the sun don't shine. Ouch.

After recovering from the shock, and intense pain, I got ready for the church's youth-group laser tag event, only for it to be cancelled due to maintenance to the Laser Tag building.

I was heading home in the church's travel bus, up front near the driver and chatting with one of my friends. '_This day's been terrible. I hope I get home fast enough to watch some of those Sonic Shorts again…_'

Suddenly, my thoughts were interrupted by a heavy jolt. I was thrown from my seat into the front of the bus, and hit my head hard on the dash. I saw everyone else in the bus pretty much intact, meanwhile my vision was blurring from the force of the blow. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm a pretty tough guy, but the force of _this_ blow was too much for even me to keep up with.

I don't really remember much more about that day, but I vaguely remember the bus driver yelling for everyone to get off. '_Hello, I'm right here! Able to help, anyone? Or is it every person for himself?'_ I'd guess the people were more worried for themselves, and most people either ran right past me, or went out the back exit.

'_Oh well. At least everyone else is safe' _Was all I had time to think.

Then the engine exploded…

To be continued


	2. The Four

The next thing I saw was darkness. A big, black void filled with, well, nothing. '_Is this what death is like? I'd always imagined it'd be… Brighter.'_

Suddenly, I felt like I wasn't alone. I'd always been a bit more sensitive to my surroundings than others. Have you ever gotten that little itch on the back of your neck when you're being watched? I had that feeling right now. I got up the courage to speak, "Who's there?"

Suddenly, echoing voices reached my ears. "**He is a simple person. What difference could **_**he**_** make?**"

"**A right person in the right place can make all the difference in the world.**"

"**He is able to hear us.**"

"**Then perhaps we should make ourselves known...**"

I felt four presences around me, now. I can't quite explain it... I just knew they were there. I asked again, "Who are you? And can I have some part in the discussion about me, if you don't mind?"

A man's voice spoke. "**I am Sol.**"

Next, a woman's voice, "**I am Lithia.**"

Another, darker male voice, "**I am Zone.**"

Finally, a second female voice, "**And I am Felicity**."

"**We are the four.**" They all spoke at the same time, now.

I nodded and said, "I assume you already know who I am, by the way you were talking about me." I crossed my arms, and leaned on one leg, relaxing as much as I could with four beings deciding my fate.

The one named Lithia said, "**We are aware of who you are. The question is, are you worthy of the task we have laid out for you?**"

Task? When I questioned what they meant, at first there was no answer to me, only soft whispers in between them. Then I could hear what they were saying again.

Zone spoke first, "**How can you be sure? He is but a child**."

"**As were we, at a time**." Lithia responded. She acted as a voice of reason.

"**I shall take him under my watch, if it is necessary.**" Sol spoke above them both, "**Remember the Seer's message. **'_**The rushing waters and the mighty flames shall be one**_**.**'" Felicity finished, "_**'and their search for the seven quickly be over, and done...**_' **What Sol speaks is true**." She looked at me and spoke, "**He **_**is**_** the one we seek.**"

"**Then let him prove it. Send him.**" Zone obviously wasn't happy, but now I was confused by what they said. 'Rushing waters'? 'Search for the seven'? Sounded like an interesting time, for sure.

"Alright, I'll help you. But what do you mean by 'the one you seek'? It sounds like you've been waiting for this." I saw a faint outline around where Lithia was. A light green… The closest thing I could describe it as was something similar to a comic I'd seen before... Where…?

"**The road ahead of you may be rough, but do not falter.**"Lithia smiled.

Sol moved towards me, and I saw him clearly. A walking, fiery orange… tiger? He held a staff in his hands, the end of which, he slammed to the ground and called, "**Wake!**"

And they were gone.

**Lithia and Zone belong to Sinbreaker, and Felicity belongs to Starbomb. **

**Oh, and to those of you wondering when the real action's going to start, you're in luck. The next chapter's when the REAL story starts.**


	3. Skydiving

As the being known as Sol faded from my sight, my mind went into overdrive. '_That guy looked a whole heckuva lot like a… oh, of course. A Mobian. At this point, that's the most 'normal' thing that's happened to me, all day._'

As soon as that realization hit my consciousness, the view around me changed in an instant. Light filled my vision, leaving me temporarily blinded, and as soon as my sight was back, I found myself to be encased in a small, transparent, orange bubble high above the land below me. I'm not squeamish about heights, but I knew that a fall from this height would most likely kill me. By what I thought of as cruel luck, the barrier around me disappeared right after that, and my free-fall began.

I tried to right myself into a manageable diving position, to slow my descent as much as possible. I'd never done this before, but I'd seen it on TV so often. How hard could it be? I twisted my body around, managing to get into a position where my arms and legs were spread out, causing as much wind resistance as I could, and looked for something to soften my fall. I saw a beachhead not too far away, so I angled myself towards that, and hoped I was going to be able to hit the ocean, before I hit the ground. I was so close to the water… But the ground was coming up towards me, just as fast. '_C'mon… Almost there…_'

I managed to land in the sand on the beach, and from what I judged, not five feet away from the water, and what's worse? My head was stuck in the sand.. I guess the only reason I survived that fall was the sand I landed in. I remembered something like that working in Sonic Adventure. Why not here? But where was here, anyway? I tried pulling my head up from the sand and with some effort, succeeded. I then noticed two things. One, I was indeed three feet from the water, and two, I was _blue! _I looked myself over, noting several things were different. I was covered in blue fur, had greenish-blue gloves and shoes on, I had a long, fuzzy tail curled around behind me, and when I reached up to check my head, I felt triangular ears on top. Ok. So, this is probably the weirdest thing that's happened to me, yet. But, I'm not one to panic, so I calmly looked around to see what I had around me, and saw a very familiar, and surprised, Mobian raccoon in a beach chair, looking at me with wide eyes. Pretending nothing was out of the ordinary, I cheerfully waved, when suddenly the air around me heated up in an instant. I instinctively made a mad dash for the water, and as I turned around after reaching the water, a fireball hit the ground where I was just standing moments before.

"Who are you?" A female voice called out, and as the smoke cleared, I saw a purple cat standing behind the spot that had been hit with a fireball, her hands ablaze. _'Blaze the Cat? Well, that answers the question of where I am. The raccoon must be Marine.'_ My old name didn't matter, here. I was a Mobian, and 'Nathan' didn't quite match with me. A name appeared in my mind, and I went with it.

I answered quickly, "Hydro. Who might you be?" I already knew the answer to this, but I asked anyway, to avoid panicking her. How was I supposed to explain that I knew everything about them and their worlds? They'd think I was either obsessive, a spy, or just plain crazy.

She responded, "I am Blaze the cat." She tilted her head at me, looking me over, maybe to see if I was a threat. Once she was satisfied with that, she relaxed and looked behind me, smirking.

I wondered what she was smiling about, until Marine started laughing, and pointed behind me, "Your tail's on fire, mate!" I quickly sat down in the water, dousing the flame, and jokingly shook a fist at them, while Marine kept laughing, and Blaze chuckled a bit, before regaining her serious look. I looked my tail over. The fur was singed slightly, and there wasn't too much damage done, as far as I could tell, but I knew I should still have it looked at.

I glanced up at the two Mobians on the beach in front of me, held my tail, and asked, "So, do you gals know anywhere I could have this looked at?"

Blaze thought for a moment, and said "Well, there's the infirmary at the castle. It's the closest place with a medical staff. Come with me." With that, she turned around, walking away from the beach, while Marine finished laughing, and said, "C'mon, Blue. Let's get that tail of yours all patched up, aye?"

I nodded, getting up and shaking most of the water out of my fur, figuring I'd air-dry on the way there, and followed Blaze. When I caught up with them, I looked to Blaze, trying to make conversation. "So, I hear you're the princess around here?"

She looked uncomfortable on that, but forced a smile. "Yes, but please. Call me Blaze. The formalities aren't necessary."

I nodded, "Ok, then." I understood her position. I never liked being in charge, especially when everyone had to acknowledge me about it. I imagine she had a similar view.

By the time we reached the castle, my fur had air-dried, albeit matted in places, but in that regard, I was fine. My tail, however, had finally realized it was burnt, and it was telling me about it. I was ready to get to a medic. I asked, "So, where's the infirmary, again?"

Blaze nodded, understanding, and gave me the directions to get to the infirmary, once I was inside, and I made it a determination that I was going to the medic as soon as we got in. The guards gave us a little trouble, because I was an outsider, but backed off when they realized I was with the princess. They both gave me a glare that said, '_I'm keeping my eye on you._' Whatever. Now that we were inside, Blaze gave me full reign to go to the infirmary, and I sprinted for all I was worth, following her directions, and making it to the medic, who was surprised at my hurried entrance, but calmed as soon as I explained why I was there. A few minutes later, my tail was feeling much better, and I went to find Blaze again, who suggested I stay at the castle temporarily, since I was already here. I agreed to this, and went to the room she indicated. '_What a day…_'

I decided to take stock of who and what I was, now. I looked in a mirror, and got a full indication of what I looked like. I was covered in blue fuzz, as is probably typical of being a Mobian cat. My stomach and chest had light grey fur covering it, and my muzzle was a light peach color. My eyes were golden-yellow, and my ears were perked up, and I spent a minute, practicing moving them. Then, I took a closer inspection of the clothing I had, and noticed a light-blue symbol on the back of both of my gloves, that looked strangely like the shape of a drop of water. Next, I looked to my shoes, which were a greenish-blue color, like my gloves, and they had a red stripe going down the side of each of them. That was about it, other than my lightly singed tail, which was blue like the rest of my body.

With that done, I laid back on the bed in my room, staring up at the ceiling for a while, and noticed how exhausted I was. I suppose a sky-diving trip and having your tail set on fire will do that to you. For some reason, I felt truly at home here. I thought '_Just a quick nap…'_, as I drifted to sleep…

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**Disclaimer: Hydro the cat is the only thing in this story belonging to me. The rest all belong to Sega/Archie comics**


	4. Getting Settled In

The next day, I was sitting on a railing above the main hall of the castle. I had awoken earlier, and noticed it was the next morning, so I just got up, and decided to explore. I hadn't made much progress, but I liked being in the background. No one tended to notice me until I made myself known, and that was just how I liked it. The princess was below, with her advisors making a real fuss about a ball they were attempting to plan, but they were worrying her with every single detail. From the color of flowers, seating arrangements, drinks, there wasn't a thing they'd missed. That is, other than me. I tilted my head to better focus my ears on the commotion, and shifted on my spot above the hall.

Finally, the people attending the ball left Blaze. As they exited the room, it was Blaze herself that pointed me out, "You can come down, now. My guards would be envious of you. You're quite stealthy."

I retorted, "Obviously not stealthy enough to keep you from noticing me. When'd you figure out I was here?"

"I saw the marks on the pillars. Your shoes scuffed the marble." She was right; there were tiny marks on the marble where I had leapt from side to side, trying to reach the top.

"You have a good eye. I didn't notice."

"Well, enough small-talk. I'm sure you are hungry."

I was about to decline the offer, when my growling stomach answered her question for me. She laughed at this and waved me over, "Come. We'll go to the galley, and see what the chef has prepared for breakfast."

A few minutes after breakfast, Marine came over to me, asking if I could fight. I had taken some martial arts classes back at home, and I could handle myself pretty well. However, I knew I wouldn't be much of a match, even against Marine who had had more experience fighting than I had in my entire life; I could use a refresher. "Could you two help me out? I think I could use a little help with fighting. I'm not entirely up to speed with my fighting skills."

Marine stepped up, and grabbed my arm, tugging me towards the door while Blaze just sighed and followed closely behind. "Well c'mon, ya lazy fuzz-ball! Let's get crackin'!"

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**Hydro is, once again, the only thing in this story that belongs to me. Everything else goes to Sega/Archie comics.**


	5. Sol Emeralds

I dodged another fireball, and stepped back as a wave of fire erupted in front of me. "C'mon, Blue! Let 'er have it!"

'_Easier said than done, Marine...'_ Oh, I suppose I should catch you up a bit. At this point, I was in the middle of a firestorm being unleashed by Blaze, who was putting up one heck of a fight. I didn't expect any less of her, but still. She could've let the newcomer have a fair chance! But even while I was being fired at, I was learning quickly. One of the things I learned was about my new body. My tail tended to act as a counterbalance when I was moving at these speeds. A simple twitch of my tail could send me from a nasty fall, into a well-balanced roundhouse kick. I found my legs were very strong, and that gave a good amount of speed to my running. On top of that, I was a lot more flexible than I was in my human body. I was able to pull maneuvers that I knew would likely strain a muscle in an average human. But enough of my newfound abilities. Back to the battle.

I ducked low under another wave of fire and leapt forward, intending to sweep Blaze's feet out from under her, but when I reached the spot where she was, there was nothing there. I got to my feet and quickly surveyed my surroundings, trying to find my opponent. Suddenly, a burst of heat came from behind me, and I was knocked over and into the ground face first, with someone's knee obviously landing in the center of my back. They pinned my for a few seconds longer before I surrendered, and I turned over onto my back to see Blaze standing over me with a triumphant smirk on her face. She offered a hand to help me up, which I gladly accepted. Marine then noted that she had to check on her ship, the S.S. Marine. After Blaze and I said our farewells to the raccoon, we headed back to get cleaned up. On the way back, I managed to ask, "How did you do that?"

"Do what?" Blaze responded, unsure of which part I meant.

"That thing, where you disappeared like that. I didn't quite catch how you did that."

Blaze pulled a large, dimly glowing gem from her jacket pocket, which I immediately recognized. "I simply used one of my Sol Emeralds to transport behind you. Then, before you could react, I simply pinned you to the ground." She shrugged as though she was teleported by large gems the size of her fist every day. "Nothing more to it, really." As I was about to respond, a bright light was emitted by the Emerald in Blaze's hand. Both of us shielded our eyes, and Blaze clutched the gem tightly. Then, as suddenly as it started, the light faded and the Emerald went back to normal, simply sitting in Blaze's hand.

I broke the silence first. "What… was that?"

Blaze looked up at me quizzically, "I'm unsure… The Sol Emeralds only glow like that in either the presence of another emerald that has yet to be found, or…" She trailed off, and she thought for a moment. "Come. We must get back to the castle, and inform the captain of the guard, Gardon, of what happened." She spun around quickly and walked quickly up the hill.

I got up and kept pace with her, "What's going on, Blaze?" Blaze stopped and looked back at me.

"Either the Sol Emerald thinks that you are one of its partners, or you are their other guardian."

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**Not to sound like a broken record or anything, but Hydro is the only thing in this story that belongs to me, so far. All the rest belongs to Sega/Archie comics, and I claim no ownership over them.**


	6. Unfriendly Competition

Blaze and I managed to make it to the castle, and upon finding Gardon and explaining what was going on, he simply nodded. "I'm quite surprised that the Emerald has chosen young Hydro to be the second guardian, especially since he is not of the royal bloodline. However, there is little we can do to argue the fact. This feline _is_ the guardian, Your Highness."

Suddenly, a strong sense of annoyance flooded my mind. The only thing was, I didn't have any reason to be that annoyed. The emotion didn't even feel like it was mine. I looked around, but I couldn't figure out why I was feeling like that. Eventually, the emotion died down as Blaze finished her discussion with Gardon. After looking out a window, she turned to me, "Come. It is getting late. We should retire for the night. I'll attempt to train you a bit in the morning."

As we left the room, I remarked to Blaze, "You were quite annoyed with Gardon back there, weren't you?"

Blaze turned to me, wincing, "Was I that easy to read?"

I frowned and shook my head, "No. Something else happened. At the same time you were annoyed with Gardon, I…" I stumbled over the words a bit, "I don't know. It's hard to explain."

Blaze tilted her head slightly, and asked, "Did you feel the same way I did, when Gardon called me 'You Highness'?"

"Something like that." I was still stumbling over what had happened. I didn't know what to make of it, myself.

Blaze thought for a moment. "I believe you might be experiencing a very rare ability we felines sometimes have. Some Mobian cats have a startling ability to sense others' emotions. It's sometimes said we inherited this ability from our ancestors, and while it is uncommon, it still appears on occasion. "

I thought for a moment. Could that be why I was feeling so annoyed earlier? Was I simply sensing Blaze's emotions at the time?

Blaze rested a hand on my shoulder, "Rest. You might simply be tired. When we wake tomorrow, we will see if you still experience these Empath's abilities." I felt another emotion from Blaze filter through my consciousness; doubt. She didn't quite believe that this was just coincidence, herself. Even so, we said our good nights and headed to our separate rooms.

I hadn't noticed before, being so tired, but the castle at night was just slightly creepy. The corridors weren't very well-lit, being night time, and the few windows on the walls cast long beams of moonlight through the hall. The shadows made by statues and decorative suits of knights' armor lining the walls were almost intimidating. I didn't believe in ghosts, but I still couldn't settle as I made my way to my room. Finally, I made my way to the area leading to the guest rooms. As I passed by the fountain in the center of the room, I heard a definite clicking noise echo through the room. I turned and looked around. "Hello?"

Two figures stepped from the shadows slowly. Being a cat, my night vision was excellent, so I easily made them out to be the guards who stopped me at the gates the other day, because I was an outsider.

I spoke up, questioning them. "What are you guys doing here? I'd figured that you guards would be at your posts."

The guard to my right snorted, and replied, "You're one to talk, outsider. Shouldn't a little kitten like you be in bed?"

The other guard, who had walked up at my left laughed in a childlike manner and said, "Hehehe.. Nice one, boss."

"Eh, shut up."

I bent my ears back. Kitten? Hmph. I might not be completely up to speed with my fighting skills, but I wasn't exactly a house pet, either. I decided not to fight, just yet. "Go on back to your posts before Blaze finds ya and torches you."

The guard at my left, who I made out to be an orange hedgehog, replied first. "Oh, we know all about how you're the new _guardian_. And that you're under Blaze's protection." He said 'guardian' like he was mocking the title.

The one on my right, who looked like a large, stocky bat, finished, "But look around you." He looked around himself, as if making sure. "The princess ain't here."

Before I could even lift a hand in defense, both guards rushed at me and pinned me to the wall of the fountain, slamming me into the hard stone. I nearly blacked out from the impact alone. Both mobians pinned me by my arms, with one of their each, leaving their other arms open and free. The bat looked me over and remarked, "Nice looks, kid. How about I wreck 'em for ya?" He slammed a fist into my gut, and I doubled over and coughed for a bit before catching my breath. Both guards cackled just soft enough not to be heard. I closed my fists and clenched my teeth, trying to block out the pain.

'_Gotta get outta here..'_ I concentrated, trying to pull my arms free so I could fight. Just as I saw the bat ready up for another swing, I felt a tug in my gut, and the water in the fountain behind me exploded outward and into both guards, knocking them back and into a wall. Both of them fell to the floor below the wall, unconscious from the impacts. Meanwhile, I fell to the floor below me, soaked and battered. I tried keeping my eyes open, determined to stay conscious, but it wasn't much use. I fell to the floor and my vision went black.

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**Been plenty of time since I updated on here. Well, I managed to get a ton of stuff done in that time, so I guess that kinda balances it out. Three chapters in one update! Woo!  
**

**As usual, none of the above characters belong to me, other than Hydro the Cat. The two guards who attacked him are completely random characters. They belong to nobody. Blaze the Cat and Gardon Koala both belong to Sega/Archie comics. I claim no ownership over Blaze or Gardon.  
**


	7. Recovery

**Blaze's POV**

The sound of my high-heels against stone rang out throughout the corridors of the castle as I walked swiftly through the hallways, navigating them with great haste to reach the infirmary. I had been woken early with the news that the other Guardian I met the other day had been found unconscious not twenty foot-falls away from his room - ten, if he'd been walking at the speed that I was at that very moment. The two guards that were found near Hydro were the only witnesses to what happened, and I had tiredly asked that they be brought to me for questioning, to see if they could tell me what had happened.

The questioning went smoothly for the two guards, the smarter of whom seemed to answer the most questions, and according to the large bat, it seemed quite obvious at the time what had taken place the previous night. Hydro had gone past the guards, taunting them and trying to pick a fight. When that didn't work, he'd attacked them and the guards had simply responded by defending themselves. Their story was noted, and I was about to leave the room when the hedgehog that was found with the bat uttered one sentence that cost them their argument, "Heh, we sure fooled that princess, eh boss?" The two were quickly taken to their rooms under a week-long house-arrest. I found it slightly amusing that the fox that was keeping them in their rooms hadn't locked the door. Instead, he left them with the distinct impression that if they tried to open the door, it may explode. He then went about his usual rounds while they cowered inside, staying as far from the door as possible.

While all this was happening, a nurse had brought Hydro, who was still unconscious, to the infirmary and set him on a bed to rest, after checking to make sure he wasn't too badly injured. I quickly made my way to the infirmary, and met one of the nurses. I asked a question of her, "How long will he be out?"

The koala that I'd spoken to responded with a sigh, "He'll be unconscious for a good portion of the morn' at the most. He's got some mighty bad bruisin' to his torso, but that seems to be the worst of it. I can't really do much but give 'im some pain relievers and wait until the boy wakes up."

I nodded to the nurse, "Very well. Thank you for your assistance."

The koala bowed slightly, "You're welcome, M'lady."

I nodded in return, ignoring the reference to my nobility, and turned to Hydro to look for myself. He had some thin bandages wrapped around his torso as the koala had said he'd been bruised at, and his gloves were in a small backpack placed at the foot of his bed, showing some bruising on the backs of his hands, but as she said, that was the extent of the injuries dealt to him.

I had other duties to attend to. As I turned to leave, however, I bumped into the nurse I had spoken with earlier. My necklace fell off, and clattered onto a bedside table, knocking a small cup of water over. _Note for self: Fix the clasp on this necklace._ On that note, both I and the koala nurse moved quickly to try to clean the mess up.

While I quickly grabbed my necklace and attempted to keep track of the water so it could easily be cleaned, the nurse, who had brought back a small towel to clean of the water with, stopped and pointed something out. The water has spilled onto the table, and was formed in a perfect circle. Not even a drop was out of place. Finding it odd, I looked around the room, seeing nothing but Hydro with an un-gloved hand placed on the edge of the bed near the bedside table, and by extension, the water spill. I quickly noted it, meaning to ask him about it later, and helped the koala get the mess of water cleaned up.

Having done that, I sat down, fully intending to wait until the blue feline had woken, so I could see to it that I learned about what just happened.

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**I finally update this story! XD Sorry about the wait, guys. It takes me a while to plan these chapters and get the put into words. :/ I'll try to be faster with chapter 8.**

**As always, Hydro, the guards, and the nurse here are the only things that belong to me. Everything else belongs to Sega/Archie.**


End file.
